Improvement in car-couplings



P. von LAKum @L 1. nuuGLAs.4

lCar-(Jouplings.

vPatented June 2,1874.

N0.l5l,523.

A Zai@ TES ATEN'I FFICE.

rETEn vON LAOKUM AND JOHN DOUGLAS, OF wrNONA, MINNESOTA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specilieation forming part of Letters Patent No. 151,523, (lated June 2, 1874; application filed August 18, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, PETER VON LAOKUM and JOHN DOUGLAS, of W'inona, inthe county ot' Vinona and State of Minnesota, have invented certain Improvements in Oar-Ooup lings, of which the following is a specification:

Our invention relates to that class of automatic couplings in which a pivoted falling hook is used to hold the coupling-link; and it consists in a peculiar manner of constructing and operating said hook.

Figure lis an end elevation of a car provided with our coupling, 2, alongitudinal vertical section through the draw-head and couplinghook.

A represents the draw-head ofthe car, constructed with the usual mouth or throat a, and with a longitudinal slot or inortise containing a long coupling-hook, B. The rear end of the hook B is provided with an inclined slot, l), through which a pivot, c, passes, as shown in Fig. 2, the arrangement permitting the. hook to inove endwise, and to play vertically at the forward end. rl`he front end of the hook is made with a point or nose, d, inclining backward, and with an arm, c, located in rear of the nose d, and inelining forward. NVhen the coupling-link is inserted into the mouth of the draw-head, it passes under and raises the nose of the hook, which then falls into and holds the link. lVhen the link is drawn outward by the strain upon it, it draws the coupling-hook forward until the arm e bears against a shoulder, g, in the draw-head, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the whole strain is thrown upon said arm, and the pivot relieved entirely. As the nose of the hook is inclined in the manner shown, the strain of the link tends to hold it down, and consequently there is no danger of the hook accidentally releasing the link. The release of the link is also prevented by the arm c, which, locking under the shoulder g, renders it impossible for the hook to rise until relieved from the strain of the link, so that it can slide back and unlock the arm d. Vhen the coupling-link enters the draw-head, it strikes the arm d, and therebyT forces the front end ofthe hook B downward, so that it is certain to engage with the link. The arm e also serves to prevent the link from passing too far into the draw-head, so that, when two cars are brought together, a link in the draw-head of one will be certain to enter the draw-head of the other. K Across the end of the car there is mounted a lever, E, provided with a handle at each end, and connected, by a link, F, with the coupling-hook B, so that a person standing on either side of the car can, by operating the lever, raise the hook B and uncouple the cars. A spring-arm, G, is also secured to the end ot' the car, to engage over and hold the lever when it is moved so as to raise the hook. By means of the spring the hook will be held up, so that the operator may leave and attend to other matters, while the cars will remain uncoupled and ready to separate at any time. Then the cars are to be again coupled, the blow ofthe link against the arm 1., in the manner already set forth, is sufficient to release the lever E and throw the hook B down. To the lever E there is attached a vertical rod, I, which extends above the car-roof, and has a handle on its upper end, as shown in Fig. l, so that an operator on the roof of the car may, by means of the rod, operate the coupling.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is- In combination with the draw-head A, having the shoulder g, the hook B, having the slot b, nose d, and arm e, constructed to operate as set forth. y

PETER VON LAOKUM. JOHN DOUGLAS.

Vitn esses:

WILLIAM H. GALE, GnAs. F. RowELL. 

